Archives for October 2014

It’s almost the witching hour! To help get you in the eerie, mystical mood, we thought we’d share a Halloween poem with you that our Senior Editor, Liza McNamara, wrote for us last year. We liked it so much that we thought we’d “magically” turn it into a printable version just for you. Hang it in your home or on your front door to greet trick-or-treaters or include it in treat bags when you hand out candy. Add it to the festive office décor or leave as a fun surprise for co-workers to find on their desks. You might also have fun reading it out loud to kids and grandkids to get everyone in the spirit of this mystical night of All Hallows Eve. Enjoy!Click here to receive a printable size of the poem, or click here to receive the correct size to make the poem your desktop background.

Share this:

When getting ready for Halloween, what do most people think of first? Probably costumes, candy, and decorations. (Psst, for some really fun home and yard decorating ideas, click here.) But Halloween is also a great time to send some boo-tiful cards to let others know you’re thinking of them. Wouldn’t it be fun if you could actually customize them yourself to create exactly what you’d like?

Now you can!

Blue Mountain has a whole collection of Printable Cards that you can personalize and print from the comfort of your own home. It’s easy. It’s fast. And it’s a wonderful way to make the card’s design and message your own—which is why our Printable Halloween Cards are so perfect for the occasion.

In fact, designing your own Halloween cards is a really creative, fun-filled, rainy-day craft project you can do with your kids or grandkids!

The process is actually very simple. Just go to BlueMountain.com and let the little one in your life pick the card they like best. Next, click on “Personalize and print your project.”

This is where the fun begins! With your help, let your child or grandchild add text that includes their own message…in their own words. Add art from a variety of graphics that act just like stickers. Add photos that you’ve got stored on your computer, phone, or camera. And then add fun frames available in many different shapes and sizes. (You can always preview your masterpiece before finalizing anything.)

Once your little one is happy with their card, just press “Print” and there you have it! A personalized card your child can give or mail to someone very special in their life. (That could even be you!)

Of course, we also have many other cards that are suitable for any age, as well as party invitations for that frightfully delightful event you have planned. So go ahead, have fun…and Happy Halloween!

With Halloween lurking just around the corner, there’s nothing like a good scary story to get you in the spooky spirit. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 Halloween tales sure to send chills right to your bones. Some stories you may already be familiar with, but isn’t it also fun to take that unfamiliar road and see where it leads? You just may want to leave the lights on all night. Let us know what you think of our favorite Halloween tales and share your favorites below!

October is a sweet month for many reasons, but the most being the fact that we celebrate Sweetest Day, which falls on Saturday, October 17 this year!

Sweetest Day actually has quite an interesting history dating back to 1922. That was when Herbert Birch Kingston, a candy employee and philanthropist, decided he wanted to cheer up the local orphans, elderly, and poor people in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Because he worked in the candy industry, Kingston started handing out sweet treats to the less fortunate.

Following his lead, other local candy makers began to do the same—and eventually the third Saturday in October was proclaimed as the “sweetest day of the year.” As time went on, “Sweetest Day” became more and more romance focused. In fact, today many view the holiday as a second Valentine’s Day. What better way to convey your heartfelt sentiments on this lovely holiday than with a beautiful Sweetest Day eCard?

In addition to claiming Sweetest Day, October is also becoming a very popular month to get married. In fact, they’re saying “October is the new June” for weddings. Some reasons for this? The weather is still nice and quite cozy, not too hot or too cold. (There’s not much rain this time of the year either.) The scenery is vividly gorgeous with colorful foliage. Venue and vendor prices seem to be somewhat lower. And October conveys a more relaxed and comfortable mood than other busy months.

Of course, as more couples get married in October, more couples will be celebrating their anniversaries in October, too—which is the perfect opportunity to share well wishes with a touching Love or Anniversary eCard.

And last, but certainly not least, did you know that October is National Dessert Month? A whole month dedicated to sweet confections and delectable treats! (For other fun food holidays throughout the year, click here.)

As our gift to you, here’s a special recipe from our staff for elegant little Chocolate Lava Cakes, which make the perfect ending to any romantic dinner.Click Here to download and print the recipe card.

This Monday, October 17th is National Boss’s Day and your chance to acknowledge your boss or manager for a job well done. Many bosses try hard to recognize the achievements of their employees and yet their own efforts often go unnoticed. So, it’s the perfect time to throw some praise their way and thank them for their support. The tricky thing is—what do you write in your Boss’s Day card?

What you write to your boss has a lot to do with the type of relationship you have with them. If you’re close with your boss, then you might find it easier to write a few lines. However, many people may be more distant from their boss or manager, so knowing how and what to say can be a bit more difficult. Here are some suggestions that will help you navigate this day in a most acceptable way.

Boss as Mentor

Thanks for your ability to bring out the best in me.

With many thanks for the encouragement you give and for the dedication you always show.

Thanks for always taking the time to answer my questions and lend support and guidance.

You’re someone who’s a true leader, and I feel lucky to be on your team.

Close Relationship

It takes a special kind of person to be a great boss —and you do it all so well.

Thanks for your wonderful way of making people feel valued and included.

Hope a great manager manages to have the greatest day ever.

I feel so lucky to have you for a boss. Thanks for everything.

Friendly Relationship

Thanks for being so nice to work for.

Know what’s better than having a boss like you on Boss’s Day? Having a boss like you all year round!

Hope today is especially filled with the special kind of thoughtfulness you always bring to work.

Nice to know and nice to work for —you’re the best kind of boss there is.

Funny Relationship

Awesome BOSSome! You’re the best!

I listen to you all the time, but now I want you to hear something

I want to say…Have a Happy Boss’s Day!

If you think I’m going to tell you how great you are to work for…you’re absolutely right! (as usual!)

You’ve really got what it takes to run this office…Guts!

Formal Relationship

Wishing you a very happy Boss’s Day and the best of everything always.

Hope your special day is filled with all the things you enjoy the most.

One of the most exciting things about Halloween is that when it comes to decorating (both indoors and out), you can be as outrageously creative as you’d like! This year’s popular Halloween decorating trends range from understated elegance and simple playfulness, to over-the-top zaniness—and you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money creating any of them! For some fun ideas, the editors of Blue Mountain would like to share their favorite inspirations with you. Happy Halloween!

When summer days start to wane, we almost can’t wait to get started on decorating our homes and creating a cozy nest full of colorful touches of leaves, berry branches, and of course— pumpkins. As you start buying your mums and pulling out your fall candles and decorations, you might want to try some of these fall decor roundup decorating ideas that we thought were fun and creative ways to say, “Welcome, Fall”!

This has got to be the cutest way to pumpkin-up your powder room from Cranial Hiccups. 2. The “key” to fun fall decorating is easier than you think with this fun idea from Midwest Living. 3. This natural autumn centerpiece from Shelterness sets the perfect cozy tone for fall gatherings. 4. The popular “mumkin,” this one shown from Circa Dee, is a must-have for fall. 5. Create the perfect autumn atmosphere with this eye-catching leaf chandelier from Midwest Living. 6. Adorable as gifts or centerpieces, these pumpkin jars, shown from The 36th Avenue, are simply the cutest.

Share this:

As you may have noticed from the sea of pink taking over cities everywhere, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated annually to increase awareness of this disease that touches so many of us. Today, 1 in 8 women (12%) will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. Whether you’re a survivor yourself, or among the millions of friends and families that know someone who has won or lost their courageous battle, now is the time we all come together to raise our messages of strength, support, and hope for a cure.

Join In the FightIf you’re wondering what you can do to show your support or help out, we’ve compiled a list

of ideas that anyone can do to make an impact throughout the month.

Take the PLEDGE!
Despite the campaigns each year, many people still don’t know how to properly prevent and monitor their chances of getting the disease. The pledge consists of six steps that can help.

Make a donation. Every penny is a step closer to a cure, and no donation is too small. You can donate at events in your community or easily do so online as well.

Participate in an event in your community.In just about every city in America, you can join a walk, run, race, or special event to help support the cause. Take your mom, sister, grandma, or best friend by the hand and head out to make your mark.

Be a light for someone.
If you know someone in your neighborhood who is living with cancer, step in and offer kindness. Provide a meal, watch the kids, deliver some magazines, weed her garden, etc. If you don’t know anyone personally, volunteer at a local hospital.

Learn more.
Even something simple as learning a bit more about breast cancer makes a difference. It’s all about awareness. To start, we think you might find this list very interesting of 6 Things You Don’t Know About Breast Cancer.

Help spread awareness.
No one deserves to go down the road of breast cancer. At Bluemountain.com, we have cards and postcards you can send and share with everyone you know, to remind and encourage them to take steps toward prevention, as well as to raise awareness all month long.

At this time there are more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, and with your help, there will be millions more.

Share this:

With the autumnal equinox on September 22nd, when day and night were of equal length, we welcomed fall and life started all over again. Now that October is here, our gardens are bright with dahlias, camellias, echinacea, and chrysanthemums. Our recipes will be starring pumpkins, squash, apples, berries, seeds and nuts. We’re wearing our sweaters and plaid flannel, enjoying pumpkin spice lattes and farmers markets and cheering on our favorite football teams.

The days are getting shorter and the sun is lower in the sky. Nighttime is heralded by spectacular sunsets and the stars have never shone brighter. Mornings are dawning with a spectral mist hanging over the fields. As we watch all the beautiful changes taking place in nature, we are reminded that the only constant is change. We may feel a little nostalgic for autumns gone by and the people who mean so much to us. Here at Blue Mountain we have cards to honor those significant relationships and celebrate all the fun holidays in October.

Because we like autumn so much, we created a card to wish everyone a Happy Falloween. You’ll find a new postcard for Columbus Day and new eCards for Boss’s Day and Sweetest Day. When you visit our Halloween collection, you’ll discover some extra special treats—eCards with music you’re sure to recognize, including the themes from the Andy Griffith Show and Bewitched. What better time to let your friends and family know you are thinking of them? And no matter how busy you get, remember to make some time for yourself to pause and watch the leaves turning.